New Bands for Old Heads
Newsletter (Digital)
New Bands for Old Heads started out life as a TikTok series and has finally made its way into the multimedia newsletter format where it belongs. Here, I recommend new music for people who don’t keep up with it.
This is a place for people who want to get into new music but feel overwhelmed by it, or maybe even think it hasn't been good since [insert whatever decade it was that you were in your 20s]. Basically, I’m trying to get you excited about music discovery again.
I do that through playlists, reviews, artist features, community discussions, and all kinds of other stuff still in the works.
I also yap a lot about irrelevant, unrelated topics (including old music, sometimes!), so get ready for that, too. Source
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| Scope | National |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Country | United States of America |
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Recent Articles
Search ArticlesNew Music DNA - Pt. 3: Dragging Stat Significant’s Daniel Parris Out of His 2000s Rut
Quick links for the busy: 1) My interview with Daniel Parris about the music he’s nostalgic for. 2) Daniel’s music DNA. 3) A preview of the mixtape of new music I made for him based on his nostalgic favorites. Full playlist forthcoming for paid subscribers. Chances are, if you’ve heard the grim statistic that we stop discovering new music in our early 30s, you learned about it because of .
If You Like Nine Inch Nails, The Gossip, TV on the Radio, or Nina Simone...
I know what you’re thinking — what kind of band could possibly sound like every influence I’ve listed in this frankentitle? You’re right to be suspicious, but it actually gets worsebetter weirder. There are character limits in newsletter headings. No such luck for you below. Can’t justify a full price subscription, but still want to show your support? Click here to pay what you can. Spotify is just for easy embedding; please purchase directly from Bandcamp.
Before You Dismiss Pop Music, Give It An "Academic Listen"
Every once in a while I’ll read a “hot take” (not so hot, since it’s a very commonly held opinion) that pop music is simplistic garbage, and that the people who like it or defend it are little more than corporate shills. You know, this sort of nonsense: New Bands for Old Heads is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. The rise of poptimism, and the antipoptimism that grew around it, isn’t anything new.
The Best Albums of May 2025
I know, I know — the absolute cheek of me still trying to make May albums happen on the first new music Friday in June Pulp’s new album release day. Just go with it. OTHER STUFF INSIDE: 1) My interview with 2) The next pre-album release listening party (Saturday June 22nd with NZ post-punk band Ringlets) But you can skip the noise and get straight to the music, if you feel like it. I’ve learned a lot since starting a Discord server for this newsletter.
"If You Have Shame, You're Lame"
I threatened to do it. Now I have. Last month, I sat down with for the duration of a feature length film to talk about… well, everything. The scam that is the music industry and how artists are exploited within an ecosystem where they are set up to fail. What artists owe to their fans and the culture at large. Our elder millennial nostalgia for the early 2000s (and how Michael’s music is part of that nostalgia for so many).
If You Like Sonic Youth, Pixies, Devo, or The Breeders...
I think I sometimes focus too much on brand new, up-to-the-minute releases. Let’s fix that. Today, I want to tell you about a great record from last year that didn’t burrow its way into my heart until after I had already finished writing my Best of 2024 list. Spotify is just for easy embedding; please purchase directly from Bandcamp.
New Music DNA, Pt. 2: When a Music Snob Wants to Go Mainstream
In today’s issue: 1) An interview with about their music nostalgia and preferences. 2) A preview of the mixtape that I made just for Mustard, based on their answers. 3) The actual mixtape (in playlist form). 4) BONUS - confront your own past music snobbery! If you need a refresher - head here for New Music DNA - Pt. 1, which includes an explanation of what this project is all about.
Swimming in a Sea of Sevens: A Playlist of Songs You'd Skip if You Paid Attention to Critics
I thought it would be a tough sell, claiming that scoring albums was a futile and obsolete exercise. It turns out, you all agree! And you had a lot to say about it. If you haven’t checked out the comments, I highly encourage it1. In any case, I hope that also means you’ll enjoy this playlist, even though it seems like you don’t need much, if any, additional convincing. It’s filled to bursting with songs taken from albums that I was personally surprised received lackluster ratings.
Need me to get to the point faster? Cool: 1. “WTF do you do here exactly?” 2. “Why TF should I pay?” There is so, so much new music. I completely understand why it feels overwhelming to sift through it. 100,000 new songs get uploaded to streaming services every single day. That’s an impossible number. Back in your day, the radio played good music. Back in your day, MTV was actually good. 120 minutes existed and played banger after banger for, well, two hours at a time.
Album Scores Are Meaningless
There are a few reasons why I stopped writing music reviews. First, it took up too much time. I was obsessive in my approach, doggedly insisting that listening to an album at least thrice through and researching the entire artist’s back catalog was the bare minimumprerequisitefor giving a score. It was untenable. Second, I got bored. Maybe that speaks to my limitations as a writer, but there are only so many ways to describe yet another “sophomore effort.” Going rogue on form only added to the load.